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ComputorEdge™ Online — 08/30/13
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Cyber Criminals, Urban Startups, and More!
Do Some Good Tech; The Black Hat
Convention; Global Cyber Criminals;
Government Cyber Leakers; Retail
Innovation and Technology; Windows
XP Apocalypse; Urban Start-ups;
Executives and Mompreneurs;
Following a Founder Genius.
Magazine Summary
List of ComputorEdge Sponsors
Digital Dave
by Digital Dave
Digital Dave answers your tech questions.
Copy Favorites List in Internet Explorer; Alternative E-mail Programs; Saved Passwords in Internet Explorer
and Google Chrome.
Cyber Criminals, Urban Start-ups, and Founder Genius
by Marilyn K. Martin
Do Some Good Tech, Ethical Hackers and Cyber Criminals, Windows XP Apocalypse and Urban
Start-ups
Do Some Good Tech; The Black Hat Convention; Global Cyber Criminals; Government Cyber Leakers; Retail
Innovation and Technology; Windows XP Apocalypse; Urban Start-ups; Executives and Mompreneurs;
Following a Founder Genius.
Common AutoHotkey Messages and Errors Encountered by
4
ComputorEdge™ Online — 08/30/13
ComputorEdge
the Novice
by Jack Dunning
Here Are a Few Issues Every Beginner Should Understand
While all AutoHotkey users encounter these warnings and errors at some time, they can cause a great deal of
frustration for the beginner. Here is how to deal with them.
Wally Wang's Apple Farm
by Wally Wang
Spending as a Substitute for Thinking
Spending as a Substitute for Thinking; Apple's Patented 3D User Interface; 3D Scanners; Steve Ballmer
Announces Retirement; Lynn University Dumping Textbooks for iPad minis; Creating HTML5 Animation; The
Finder Window.
Worldwide News & Product Reviews
by Charles Carr
The latest in tech news and hot product reviews.
FBI Special Agent: Anonymous Arrests Were "Huge Deterrent" on Hacker Group; OMG! Using Text Speak
Doesn't Affect Grammar or Spelling? LOL!; Escalating Phone Bill Cramming Schemes Hit Mobile Users; LG
Intuition cell phone (Verizon); Music to Your Ears.
Editor's Letters: Tips and Thoughts from Readers
by ComputorEdge Staff
Computer and Internet tips, plus comments on the articles and columns.
"17-inch Laptop and Photoshop," "Adding Text to a PDF Document," "Poor Wireless Speeds," "Communicating
on the Job"
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5
Digital Dave
ComputorEdge
Digital Dave
“Digital Dave answers your tech questions.” by Digital Dave
Copy Favorites List in Internet Explorer; Alternative E-mail Programs; Saved Passwords in Internet
Explorer and Google Chrome.
Copy Favorites List in Internet Explorer
Dear Digital Dave,
I bought a refurbished laptop to use as a backup to access e-mail and Internet in case my
main PC fails. I'd like to copy my "Favorites" list from MS Internet Explorer to my backup
laptop as well as my "Contacts" list in MS Outlook. I'm running Windows 7 on both
machines. I'm unsure where to look to find these data files to copy to a thumb drive for the
transfer process. Any suggestions are appreciated!
Mike
Cardiff, CA
Dear Mike,
In Internet Explorer there is a menu bar across the top of the screen (which may be hidden
from view) that includes a File menu on the left end. (This is not the same File that appears
when you click the gear icon in the upper right-hand corner.)
In Internet Explorer on your original machine, if you don't see the menu bar (File | Edit | View |
Favorites | Tools | Help), then hit the ALT key and it will appear. Click the Export to a file
radio button and Next. Check Favorites and Next. Select the Favorites folders you want to
copy and Next. This new window will give the path to the folder where the Favorites will be
saved. Make a note of this and Export. This is the file that you want to copy to the new
computer.
On the new refurbished computer load Internet Explorer and select "Import and export…"
from the File menu. (Again you may need to hit the ALT key to see the menu bar.) Click the
Import from a file radio button and Next. Check Favorites and Next. The path and filename
(probably bookmark.htm) should be where you saved the file from the old computer. Continue
to import the file.
6
E-mail Programs
ComputorEdge
You should find a similar method for transferring contacts in Outlook.
You can also use Microsoft's Windows Live to transfer your contacts in the People section.
It's done in a similar export/import fashion, but you should be able to access it from both
computers.
Digital Dave
E-mail Programs
Dear Digital Dave,
I have a HP TouchSmart All-in-One computer with Windows 7, which means I unfortunately
have Windows Live Mail. Personally, I hate it and I can't use Outlook Express. In your
opinion, what e-mail program would you recommend for basic e-mail and forwarding of email that contains photography?
Thanks for attention.
Rob Macfie
San Diego, CA
Dear Rob,
There is a plethora of free e-mail programs which could fill the bill. All you have to do is
search on the terms "best free e-mail programs." You'll get many alternatives, but always at
(or near) the top of the list is Mozilla Thunderbird.
I don't use my e-mail program for anything other than picking up and sending messages, so
I'm pretty easy to please. Any of them should be able to handle photography, but I would go
another direction for sending out image files. The problem with large files is that whether they
are delivered or not depends upon more than just your e-mail program. There are two e-mail
servers, yours and the recipients, which depending upon their setup could block files it deems
too large. Plus, depending upon the size of the e-mail attachments, both your upload time and
the recipients download time could be extended to an uncomfortable length.
I'd recommend getting a free service such as one of the photo storage sites (Flickr, Picasa Web
Albums, Photobucket, etc.) or even better an online sharing site such as Dropbox. That way
you can upload your photos to the online service and e-mail links to all your friends and/or
associates. There is no wondering whether the e-mail will get through or not based upon its
attachments. The advantage to Dropbox is that you can post all type of files, not just images.
Other readers who have more experience with alternative e-mail programs may be able to offer
you more recommendations.
7
Saved Password in Internet Explorer and Google Chrome
ComputorEdge
Digital Dave
Saved Password in Internet Explorer and Google
Chrome
Dear Digital Dave,
In both Internet Explorer and Chrome you are prompted to save the password on most Web
sites. If you say no then you apparently can never save the password to that Web site again.
I also have an issue with Chrome. I had a saved password for the Denver Post electronic
edition. When I went to change it I looked up the help screen, which told me to delete the
password first. Having done that I again haven't been prompted to save the password. I've
toggled the save password option in administration to no avail.
Is there a solution to this?
Thank you,
Rich
Denver, CO
Dear Rich,
In Google Chrome the password settings are found in Settings => Show advance settings… =>
Passwords and forms. (Click the small icon with the three little horizontal bars in the upper
right-hand corner to select Settings from the dropdown menu.) Click "Manage saved
passwords." A Passwords window should open and you will be able to change passwords or
delete them entirely. At the bottom of the list, there is a "Never saved" list. You may need to
delete one of these before Chrome will offer to save it again.
For Internet Explorer things are different depending upon the version of IE. If you have opted
to "never save" for a particular site, then you must delete all saved passwords to reset the
"never save" sites. Go to Tools => Internet Options and select the Content tab. Click on the
AutoComplete => Settings button. In the AutoComplete Setting window which pops up click
the "Delete AutoComplete history…" button. In the Delete Browsing History window check
Passwords and click Delete. This should remove all saved passwords.
In Windows 8 there is a utility called Manage Web Credentials (search from Start Screen).
The saved passwords are found in the Web Credentials tab and can be edited or removed. The
same feature can be accessed via the AutoComplete Settings window in Internet Explorer 10
through a Manage Passwords button. However, there is no "never save" listing, so it seems
you would need to delete all passwords as noted above to get a new opportunity to save.
8
Saved Password in Internet Explorer and Google Chrome
ComputorEdge
Digital Dave
9
Cyber Criminals, Urban Start-ups, and Founder Genius
ComputorEdge
Cyber Criminals, Urban Start-ups, and
Founder Genius
“Do Some Good Tech, Ethical Hackers and Cyber Criminals, Windows XP Apocalypse
and Urban Start-ups” by Marilyn K. Martin
Do Some Good Tech; The Black Hat Convention; Global Cyber Criminals; Government Cyber Leakers;
Retail Innovation and Technology; Windows XP Apocalypse; Urban Start-ups; Executives and
Mompreneurs; Following a Founder Genius.
Do Some Good Tech
In August 2012, the CSMonitor reported on how some iPhone and Android apps can help you
find worthwhile charities and volunteer opportunities while on-the-go. iKiva, which I've
reported on before, is a micro-lending service in developing countries. iKiva shares the stories
of these global poor who need a little money for their farms or small businesses, and now has
a smartphone app.
10
The Black Hat Convention—July 2013
ComputorEdge
VolunteerMatch also has a smartphone app,
and is considered the best at matching
volunteers with local charities, and even
offers job listings for non-profits. UNICEF
is another worthwhile charity for children
worldwide, and offers several phone apps on
Behance.
In June 2012, Nibletz announced a New
York start-up called DoGoodBuyUs as a
central marketplace to buy and sell
charitable goods. Created by Zack
Rosenberg, the site offers non-profits an
exclusive place to congregate and maximize
awareness. They offer a wide variety of
charitable products to choose from in an
easy to find commercial platform, as well as
a wide range of worthwhile causes to back.
MoneyCrashers ran a story in 2012, about where to donate your used furniture to charity. For
each piece of furniture you donate, you can deduct the current fair market value from your
taxes. You just have to be sure to get a receipt to turn in with your taxes. And the Salvation
Army puts out a Donation Valuation Guide, to help determine that value. There are almost a
dozen used-furniture charities listed, from the usual national charities (Goodwill and Salvation
Army), to the Vietnam Veterans of America and even sites listing ads for free things, like
Freecycle and FreeSharing.
And in a personal blog from March 2012, A-Marie Imafidon discusses how charities should
embrace a start-up mentality. Crowdfunding sites for charities and non-profits, like
PeopleFund, use high-visibility marketing techniques. And leveraging social media, like
Twitter, is another great idea for charities to achieve more visibility. Charities also need to get
creative to get noticed and ensure sustainability, like DollarShaveClub, whose tongue-in-cheek
video sells razor blades for charity.
The Black Hat Convention—July 2013
"Ethical Hackers" are hot right now, and everyone from major corporations to government
agencies want to buy or rent their skills for everything from finding software glitches, to
seeking out dangerous and unknown back-doors into software and hardware. And no meetingof-the-minds is bigger than the annual Black Hat Convention in Las Vegas every July, although
it has grown into a "global conference series" with events all over the world.
What once started out as a secretive conference for hackers (no real names on sign in, and
11
Global Cyber Criminals—Business is Booming
ComputorEdge
only cash for the entry fee) Black Hat has now morphed into a "must attend" event for both
hackers and security experts. The opening keynote speech this year was delivered by General
Keith Alexander, the current Director of the (embattled) National Security Agency.
Other speakers usually make the news by "exposing vulnerabilities," such as how easy it is to
hack electronic locks or start cars remotely. But the Hacker Ethos survives, and pranks ran
wild at the recent BH Convention—as well as some thumb-drives with malware. The Seven
Unwritten Rules of attendance include "Don't accept gifts," "Anything can be hacked, so be
vigilant" and "Don't end up on the Wall of Sheep" (which displays the names and partial
passwords hackers have obtained from unsecured computers.)
Global Cyber Criminals—Business is Booming
Also in July 2013, the New York Times ran a story about how foreign hackers, on their own,
search for secret flaws in governments' computer codes, and then sell them to countries
wanting to break into frenemies' computer systems. Business for these do-it-yourself hackers
is booming on a state level, as hackers search for software coding flaws called "zero days",
and then sell what they find to anyone from the NSA to Iran. And Microsoft recently
increased the bounty it will pay for flaws found in MS, up to $150,000.
A dozen years ago, freelance hackers would discover flaws in, say, Microsoft, and turn them
over to MS for free, and receive a t-shirt or Honorable Mention on their Web site. Today,
after the Stuxnet worm and Snowden's leaks, "computer vulnerabilities" is a potential goldmine
for well connected hackers. Some now broker their discovered flaws for a 15% cut—or
royalty fees for every month their disclosed flaw remains otherwise undetected.
Yahoo Small Business Advisor ran a July 2013 article that warns how cyber crime is now
aimed at stealing information and data for financial gain—rather than the yesteryear thrill of
shutting down Web sites or installing malware. Any size business can be hit by "ransonware,"
whereby cybercriminals convince a business that dangerous flaws have been found in its
computer system, and they need to purchase security-software. This is really rogue antivirus
software that lets the cyber criminals into that company's system whenever they want.
"Phishing" scams are oldies-but-goodies, involving fake log-in screens, which remain rampant.
As well as malicious links and attachments to siphon money from financial accounts of
individuals and businesses alike.
In July 2013, the New York Times reported that even America's research universities are now
subjected to millions of hacking attempts every week, mostly from China. Campuses are
having to tighten security, constrict their culture of openness and sharing, and back-track to
determine if and what has been stolen. Many times the cyber-thefts are just after personal
data, like social security numbers, which means the hackers may be targeting research
professors with valuable patents. Hackers often bounce their penetration attempts through
multiple computers or countries, so tracing the origins of the cyber-attacker can be a fruitless
12
Government Cyber Leakers: Prevention and Capture
ComputorEdge
search.
Government Cyber Leakers: Prevention and Capture
With the US still trying to determine all the information Edward Snowden (now in Russia)
leaked, General Keith Alexander, Director of the National Security Agency, is working to
replace human techs with machines.
This Washington Times article from August 2013 disclosed that General Alexander predicts
that 90% of the "system administrator" positions (like Snowden held) would be cut in the
coming years. The agency is already moving to adopt a cloud system, that uses machines to
move and store sensitive data, "to make networks more defensible and secure." Even John
Brennan, CIA Director, added that efforts are underway (probably government-wide) to
"make technical opportunity less and less available."
In July 2012, Wired reported that the Pentagon had already come up with a new idea for
busting government computer leakers, by targeting how they Search and then enticing them
with decoy documents to snag them. Called Fog Computing, or "disinformation technology,"
Pentagon computer scientists claimed they already had a prototype for "automatically
generating and distributing believable misinformation (to) track access and attempted misuse."
Their first step is to bury potentially valuable information in a pile of worthless data, making it
harder for potential leakers to figure out what to disclose. The more the leaker searches, the
faster he/she can be caught by bogus documents. Like replacing techies with machines, this
"electronic tracking" was hailed as the best way to shut down the "insider threat" of
government embedded leakers, bypassing the dubious practice by the Dept. of Justice of going
through suspects' e-mails and phone calls. (Although it apparently didn't work with the recent
mega-leaker, Edward Snowden.)
More on Retail Innovation and Technology
In June 2013, the Minneapolis Star Tribune (through the Denver Post) reported that a reverse
effect is being observed with some online retailers—they are now opening offline stores.
Despite dire predictions that brick-and-mortar stores are going extinct, some online "specialty"
stores are opening physical stores. Sigma Beauty, a fast-growing online makeup retailer,
recently opened their first outlet at the Mall of America. Although online retailers enjoy lower
overhead costs than physical stores (from space leases to hiring clerks/cashiers), adding an
outlet store lets customers examine the products up close. This can create a bond with
customers that solidifies their interest in that mostly-online retailer.
Also in June 2013, the CSMonitor ran a story that Microsoft and Best Buy were teaming up to
open brick-and-mortar mini-stores. The two retail giants are opening 600 Windows Stores this
13
ComputorEdge
Windows XP Apocalypse—Microsoft Stops Support Next Year
summer in the US and Canada, which will replace the computer sections of certain Best Buy
stores. In April 2013, Best Buy also allowed Samsung to open mini-stores (staffed with
Samsung employees) in certain Best Buy outlets. Microsoft hopes the Windows Stores will
help customers become more familiar with Windows 8, ultimately boosting PC sales.
The Seattle Times reported in July 2013, that Seattle-area artists are using Etsy to help sell
their creations online. Seattle retailer Nordstrom has even partnered with Etsy on an 80-piece
collection for weddings, which includes handcrafted work by five Etsy artists. Retailers are
attracted to Etsy, which is becoming a national trend, because "that's where people go to find
art accessories that really come with a story." Etsy offers original art and craftwork for people
who want to break out of the sea-of-sameness arts and crafts found in most national chains.
Windows XP Apocalypse—Microsoft Stops Support
Next Year
According to Computerworld in June 2013, Microsoft's plan to end support of Windows XP in
April 2014 may be a game-changer in multiple ways. Hewlett-Packard executives happily
expect a significant boost in PC sales when XP shuts down.
But WindowsITpro, in August 2013, announced that Windows XP still accounts for 37% of
all desktop operating-system usage share (as of July 2013), well ahead of all other Microsoft
Windows programs except Windows 7. They think this "XP Apocalypse" may be a disaster in
the making, since 510 Million PCs around the world still run XP.
In August 2013, Computerworld reported that global hackers are already searching for and
storing XP viruses and exploits, preparing to unleash them the second Microsoft stops
supporting Windows XP next April. Similar to what I reported above, cyber-criminals expect
to charge twice their normal "ransom" by selling these XP exploits after Microsoft's support
for XP ends. Although deep-pocket corporations and government agencies can pay Microsoft
a bundle to continue supporting their XP systems, the only option for most businesses using
XP is to upgrade to Windows 7 or 8. Experts already predict that signs of "bug-banking" for
XP vulnerabilities should show up during the fourth quarter of 2013, by "a sharp reduction in
the number of publicly-disclosed or used-in-the-wild XP vulnerabilities."
Urban Start-ups: Sharing Economy and Come-to-You
Services
In January 2013, the Los Angeles Times ran a round-up of start-up service providers, and how
they were growing and expanding. Capsule is an event-based sharing platform now focusing on
weddings, and has now partnered with TheKnot for photo-sharing technology of the Big Day.
While PromoJam simplifies the process of creating marketing campaigns, with a dashboard
14
Start-up News: Executives and Mompreneurs
ComputorEdge
display for information about campaign traffic, social engagement and conversion rates. And
parking app, ParkMe received new investment funds for their comprehensive database of onstreet and off-street parking locations and availability, and plans to expand from their original
500 cities in the US and Europe.
Also in January 2013, the San Jose Mercury News (through the Denver Post) ran an article
about how the "sharing services" model for start-ups, from sharing cars to spare bedrooms, is
now being used to match consumers with less expensive professional services, many of which
can come to your home. YourMechanic has a mobile network of certified auto mechanics that
will come to your home or office. Homejoy is a maid service you can book online. And similar
services are popping up to rent chefs through Kitchit, or mobile barbers through GoHaircut.
Start-up News: Executives and Mompreneurs
In May 2013, the New York Times ran an article about how many new successful start-ups are
being created by "professed company builders," now investing their own money and acquired
skills as executives to start their own companies. These seasoned executives or venture
capitalists call themselves "serial entrepreneurs," and typically operate multiple companies at
one time. These investors-turned-inventors are frequently motivated by personal passions to
start companies. They can also tap their many friends and acquaintances for capital, if need
be. And venture capitalists like the idea of funding "people with operational experience who
can give their full attention to these companies."
The Miami Herald in May 2013 ran an article about how South Florida "mompreneurs" are
turning their parenting solutions into start-ups. With 30% of US companies now owned by
women, "technology has made it possible for women to manage their families and work life,
while being a mompreneur has made it possible for them to be the owners of their own time.
One successful mompreneur is Lourdes Leon-Vega, who started Tutti-Bambini as a maternity
concierge service and baby boutique. Now a certified "baby planner," Leon-Vega leases 1,500
square-feet of space in South Miami, which offers expectant mothers' classes in everything
from prenatal fitness to sibling training.
Following a Founder Genius: Microsoft's Steve
Ballmer
According to an August 2010 article in MubbisherAhmed, founder Bill Gates' managementstyle at Microsoft started the whole new-agey, "office culture" of casual-and-fun. Gates
wanted employees to love working in MS offices, and find inspiration through casual
discussions and even playing video games. Gates then eliminated the bureaucracy and "stupid
rules" most corporations are built around, and created great morale by encouraging and
respecting individual effort.
15
Following A Founder Genius: Apple's Tim Cook
ComputorEdge
Gates also had a clear vision to aim for—becoming a Corporate Tech Giant—and hired the
smartest people (many friends and former colleagues already loyal to him) who could also
work hard toward that goal, through constant innovation. Throw in a tight budget, and Gates'
famous ability to quickly analyze proposals down to the bottom line, and it's easy to see how
the Gates Model of Business is now being taught far and wide.
Steve Ballmer was Bill Gates' right-hand-man he'd known since Harvard, and was Microsoft's
President. Like many successful partnerships-of-opposites, Ballmer was the gregarious
salesman to Gates' quiet brainiac. Ballmer was tapped to be CEO when Gates retired in 2000,
although Gates hung around as Microsoft Chairman. Having worked with Gates for around
three decades, Ballmer stuck to the Gates blueprint of taking risks with innovation—but not
with finances.
He successfully tripled Microsoft's revenue, and sought to reshape MS from focusing on
"packaged software" to "devices and services." But his experience was in PCs, and all other
top management (who might have had more experience in "devices and services") had left or
been pushed out. Ballmer first survived the criticism for not jumping on the mobile bandwagon
quicker, trailing Apple and Google. But the introduction of the overly-complicated Windows 8
in 2012 was a disaster, and the upcoming new quirky Xbox introduced in early 2013 has also
taken a lot of flack. In August 2013, Ballmer announced that he will retire within the next 12
months.
Following A Founder Genius: Apple's Tim Cook
Steve Jobs was to computer hardware, what Bill Gates was to computer software. Jobs
created his first bare-bones Personal Computers in his parents' garage, and also went on to
create and grow a mammoth tech company that has inspired near legendary fandom. His
management style was more device-centric, focused on spotting opportunities for improvement
(like cell phones) and creating an environment to bring that opportunity to fruition. His
business genius was to bypass the consultants and market research, and listen to what people
wanted or needed to improve their own productivity. In a pinch, Jobs would just follow his
instincts, rather than submit to "paralysis by analysis."
Apple wasn't as "employee friendly" as Microsoft, and at times was crazy and even draconian.
But Jobs did recruit the smartest people he could, and was quick to jettison them if they
weren't as committed to Apple as he was. Difficult to work for, Jobs accomplished a lot with
his personal charisma, such as "making the design of a power supply feel like a mission from
God," and was his own best salesman. Sickly in his later years, Jobs was acutely aware of the
need for successors to run his beloved Apple, and worked hard "to make the whole executive
team good enough to be successors." With lots of medical-leave, amid calls by investors for a
succession-plan, Jobs resigned in early 2011 and died that August.
Jobs hired Tim Cook from Compaq in 1998 to fix Apple's production mess. This partnership
16
Following A Founder Genius: Apple's Tim Cook
ComputorEdge
too seemed to be the best-of-opposites, Cook's calm and methodical brainiac as Chief
Operating Officer, to Job's mercurial and demanding genius. By 2008, CNN Money was
predicting that "operations whiz" Cook was the best choice to replace founder-genius Steve
Jobs. And Cook was thoroughly tested early by stepping in as "interim chief executive" as Jobs
got sicker and took more leave from Apple.
As Apple's official CEO since 2011, Tim Cook is described as "demanding and unemotional,"
a private workaholic appreciated for his even temperament, who can still cut to the bottom-line
in meetings with one sentence (much like Bill Gates). He too inherited lots of expectations for
a company that has morphed from a "scrappy industry pioneer" into a corporate behemoth.
But despite his reputation for being stat-driven and consensus-oriented, he has depth and
breadth of "gadget experience," and can deftly manage the iPhone and iPad product lines Jobs
started.
But Cook too has had to ride herd on unacceptable glitches, like Apple Maps. And deal with
constant questions about Apple's pile of cash, and whether or not there are "totally new
products" in the pipeline. He's also fired a few of Jobs' soul-mates at Apple (while promoting
others), which may have contributed to the quiet flood of employees bailing to new
companies. But despite endless Cook-firing rumors, Forbes suggests that as long as iPhone
sales and activations remain strong, Cook's job as Apple CEO is probably secure.
Marilyn is a freelance writer and humorist, with a special interest (besides computers and
technology) in Science Fiction. Besides short stories published in various magazines, she
also has some new e-books available on Amazon Kindle: Hunting Monster Aliens is an ongoing series of novellas, about a wise-cracking team of ghost investigators who occasionally
turn into alien-monster hunters. Culture Crash! A California Yankee Transplanted to Texas is
a collection of humor essays chronicling her adventures in her new home-state.
ComputorEdge E-Books has converted many of Marilyn's computer humor columns into four
e-books.
Now available in a four-book Kindle bundle from Amazon.com The Best Computer and
Internet Humor, Anecdotes, and Jokes Found on the Web. Marilyn's collection of the funniest
stories about our computing machines and how we use them at home, the office, and in cyber
space. Save 25% off the individual book price!
17
ComputorEdge
Common AutoHotkey Messages and Errors Encountered by the Novice
Common
AutoHotkey
Messages and
Errors
Encountered
by the Novice
“Here Are a Few Issues Every Beginner Should Understand” by Jack Dunning
While all AutoHotkey users encounter these warnings and errors at some time, they can cause a great
deal of frustration for the beginner. Here is how to deal with them.
The following review of the AutoHotkey e-book A Beginner's Guide to AutoHotkey was
posted on Amazon.com the other day:
"I found it a little difficult to follow, it's disorganized; randomly providing hotkey recipes
without talking about exactly where to begin; from downloading and installing to how to
deal with unexpected error messages, like: 'An older version of the script is already
running'. That error appeared on day one and I still don't know what to do about it."
I mostly agree with this review and attached a comment to it on Amazon.
First of all, although I had seen the same AutoHotkey "older version" message many times
when I was starting (and still do occasionally), I neglected to mention it in the first book. This
was a complete oversight on my part. Virtually everyone will experience this message at some
time—even if they are not writing the script. I plan to fix that omission when I update the book
(probably in a couple of months). For now I will provide an answer here, plus address a
couple more common errors people are likely to encounter when writing AutoHotkey scripts.
An Older Instance of This Script is Already Running
If an AutoHotkey script (or compiled EXE file) is already loaded and you attempt to run it
again by either double-clicking the icon in Windows Explorer or using the Run dialog, there is a
reasonable chance that you will see a warning as in Figure 1. An instance of the script running
is the same as a separate process or window when running any program. Most programs such
as Web browsers allow you to run it multiple times (instances) opening additional windows or
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ComputorEdge
Common AutoHotkey Messages and Errors Encountered by the Novice
instances. Some programs such as e-mail clients only allow one instance to run at a time. This
avoids possible conflicts between two identical processes.
Figure 1. By default AutoHotkey only allows one instance of a script to run. If you try to load another while a first is
running, this window warning will pop-up.
By default AutoHotkey does not allow more that one instance of a script to run. If you want to
reload the script without getting the warning, the easiest way is to right-click on the
AutoHotkey icon in the System Tray and select Reload This Script as shown in Figure 2. This
will replace the current instance with the latest saved version of the AHK file
(CalorieCount.ahk shown in Figure 1 above) without asking questions.
Figure 2. When testing AutoHotkey scripts, using Reload This Script will avoid the single instance warning window.
Not only is the reload automatic, but it saves returning to Windows Explorer (of the Run
dialog) to rerun the script. Of course, you can always click Yes when the warning window
pops up, although that extra step can get annoying.
You can override that default behavior by adding #SingleInstance Off to your script, but you
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Common AutoHotkey Errors
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may not want to do that since it will leave multiple instances of the script running—a new one
every time you load the script from Windows Explorer or the Run command. In most cases,
you will want only one instance of a script loaded. In that situation, it's better to add
#SingleInstance Force to the script which will automatically reload your script with the new
version and avoid the warning.
I would avoid using #SingleInstance Ignore. While this will stop the warning window from
popping up, it also will not reload the script. This could drive you crazy if you think you're
reloading the script, but don't see the changes.
There are times when you want to load multiple instances—as is the case with the
InstantHotkey app. The InstantHotkey which sets up a temporary hotkey combination for
adding tailored text to any document. If you want to set up more than one hotkey
combination, each with its own text, you need a separate instance of the app running for each
combination. (You could write one script to create multiple hotkey combinations, but that
would greatly complicate the script.) This multiple use of the app is made possible with the
#SingleInstance Off command. However, this is an exception rather than the rule. If this were
done with the Calorie Counting app, then confusion between open windows could (and
probably would) cause data loss. (By the way, the InstantHotkey app, which can be
downloaded at the ComputorEdge AutoHotkey Dropbox download Web site, has just been
updated to include an Add Text menu item in the icon right-click menu in the System Tray
which can substitute for using the temporary hotkey combination.)
There are a couple of common errors which could confuse novice AutoHotkey script writers.
Common AutoHotkey Errors
When loading AutoHotkey scripts, it's common to encounter pop-up windows showing errors
found in the syntax of the script. Usually it's a spelling mistake in the code or a malformed
command. The error window displays both the error and where it is located in the script.
Normally, it's merely a matter of correcting the code, saving the script and rerunning it. Here
are a couple of the more common errors that are more likely to occur and how to deal with
them.
Missing Label (Subroutine)
Many of the AutoHotkey commands allow the addition of an option called g-Label which calls
out the name of a "label" or subroutine found within the script. It appears in the form of the
subroutine name with the letter "g" in front of it (i.e. gCheckTime, gCalculate, gAddItem, etc).
(The "g" stands for Gosub which is the command for calling a subroutine.) The g-label option
is commonly used in the GUI controls of an AutoHotkey window. The label (subroutine) is
executed when the control is either clicked or changed—depending upon the type of control.
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The Variable Already Exists
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The subroutine uses the same name as the g-Label without the "g" with a colon added at the
end (i.e. CheckTime:, Calculate:, AddItem:, etc). If the g-Label option is used in a line of
code, but the subroutine isn't found, then AutoHotkey displays an error (see Figure 3) and the
script stops loading.
Figure 3. If the g-Label option is added to a command line, but the subroutine is not found, an error results and the
script stops loading.
The resolution is as simple as adding the subroutine to the script—even if it doesn't do
anything. For the example in Figure 3, the following code would eliminate the error:
WhatsUp?:
Return
Eventually, the associate code is added between the WhatsUp?: and the Return, but initially
matching the label name to the g-Label option called will suffice. The Return is required to
mark the end of the subroutine.
The Variable Already Exists
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The Variable Already Exists
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Another common error encountered by beginners occurs when AutoHotkey attempts to create
a variable with a GUI control which was previously created (see Figure 4). This rarely happens
when the script first loads unless the same variable name is inadvertently used in more than
one control. Normally, the error pops up when the script attempts to create a GUI window
that already exists.
Figure 4. The "same variable" error usually occurs when a hotkey combination or another subroutine attempts to
recreate a GUI window which already exists.
Even if the AutoHotkey GUI window is closed (either through code or by clicking the "Close"
x in the upper right-hand corner, it continues to exists. That means any attempt to recreate it
will result in an error. The Gui, Show command can still reactivate the original hidden window
as long as the script hasn't been terminated by exiting or killing the process. Exiting or
terminating the app would force users to restart the script if they wanted to use it again.
Dealing with this error can be a little more complex than the simple "Missing Label" error, but
there are a few different ways to resolve it. The best solution is to ensure that the GUI
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The Variable Already Exists
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window is loaded only once when it first runs by locating the GUI code in the auto-execute
area at the beginning of the script. Then, whenever the window needs to display, a hotkey
subroutine which includes only the Gui, Show command is used. That way the script never
attempts to create the same variables again.
Another option is to include the Gui, Destroy command in the subroutine that closes the
window. This will clear the GUI controls and all of their variables from memory, thus allowing
the recreation of the GUI and all variables the next time it's needed. However, any settings
changed or set to non-default values will be lost (reset to the defaults).
Another way to avoid the error without destroying the GUI even though the GUI setup code
exists within the same hotkey routine is to only run the GUI setup when it does not exist. The
following is an example of this approach which prevents the error while allowing the GUI to
maintain the last date set:
^#D::
DetectHiddenWindows, On
IfWinNotExist, Select Date
{
Gui AddDate:Add, MonthCal, vDayPick
Gui AddDate:Add, Button, Default, Submit
}
Gui AddDate:Show,, Select Date
DetectHiddenWindows, Off
Return
AddDateButtonSubmit:
Gui AddDate:Submit
FormatTime, DayPick, %DayPick%, MMMM d, yyyy
Send, %DayPick%
Return
This is an AutoHotkey script which uses the MonthCal control to select and add a formatted
date to any document (i.e. May 28, 2013) (see Figure 5). This is a modification of the
AddDate.ahk script found on the download site, but altered to be included in a larger group of
AutoHotkey apps combined into one script.
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Detecting Hidden Windows
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Figure 5. The MonthCal control is used to add a selected date to any Windows document or edit field.
Since this snippet is included in a larger AutoHotkey script which performs various tasks, it's
not desirable to preload the GUI in the auto-execute section. Gui, Destroy could be used (and
is used in the original script), but the GUI would default to today's date, thus losing the soughtout setting of "May 28, 2013" (in Figure 5) every time the hotkey reloaded it. This would
force me to navigate from the current day to "May 28, 2013" whenever I wanted to place that
date in a document.
The solution is to add a conditional (IfWinNotExist, Select Date) which checks for the
existence of the window before setting it up. If it exists, then the GUI setup is skipped and the
window is merely activated with the Gui, Show command.
Detecting Hidden Windows
Also of interest is the use of the DetectHiddenWindows command. Since most of the various
windows commands (WinActivate, IfWinActive, WinWait, IfWinExist) are affected hidden
windows (by default those commands won't see hidden windows), it can be another source of
frustration for the novice AutoHotkey script writer. Closing a window hides it. The Gui, Show
and WinShow commands are unaffected by hidden windows and work fine. In most cases
such as this example issuing the DetectHiddenWindows, On makes the script work. While it
may not be necessary, using the DetectHiddenWindows, Off command at the end of the script
keeps it clean.
Using GUI Names in Combined Scripts
Note that in the GUI command lines of code in the above script, a name has been added to
each GUI command. In this case, AddDate:
Gui AddDate:Add, MonthCal, vDayPick
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The Style of the AutoHotkey E-books
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Gui AddDate:Add, Button, Default, Submit
Gui AddDate:Show,, Select Date
This needs to be done whenever you're combining snippets of AutoHotkey scripts which
include multiple GUI windows. Adding a unique name to each GUI distinguishes them from
each other within the same script. If you're using standard labels such as the ButtonSubmit
shown, the GUI name must also be added to the label name (AddDateButtonSubmit:).
The Style of the AutoHotkey E-books
If someone is just starting out with AutoHotkey, there are tutorials available online such as that
at the AutoHotkey Web site. That one is short, to the point and might suffice for many people.
I certainly reviewed it when I started out. But for me, learning the nuances of AutoHotkey is
more a journey than a step-by-step procedure. I'm interested in showing what AutoHotkey can
do rather than the teaching every possibility for each command. The specific details of the
command variations are available through the AutoHotkey Command Reference at the same
AutoHotkey site. My goal is to offer immediate results in the form of short apps while the
teaching appropriate tricks along the way. I use and explain what is needed for the app.
Hopefully, people will be inspired with more useful ideas of their own and figure out whether
different command options are needed. If so, they will soon be writing the apps that are right
for them.
Once it is understood how one AutoHotkey command can be used in a practical way, more
ideas will follow. For example, when I first looked at the ListView control, all I could see was
the obvious list of Windows files—similar to what's found in Windows Explorer. But as I
determined to dig into how ListView works and write about my insights, lights started to turn
on. I have since written the barebones To-Do List app, the Address Book app, and I'm
currently working on the Calorie Counting app. I also have plans for an AutoHotkey app
control center. All of this was inspired by learning how to use ListView. At times, the
approach I take in my e-books (and this column) may seem rambling and disorganized, but
this is the nature of learning the nuances of AutoHotkey and script writing. (This is how
writing scripts actually works for me—and I suspect for many other people.) My efforts are
not just to show how it's done, but to acknowledge that it is never a straight path and there are
missteps along the way. I hope to encourage readers to not give up when they hit that
seemingly insurmountable obstacle.
If you need something to the point, then I recommend the online resources. It's all there and I
see little point in me merely republishing that excellent information. However, I recognize that
there are improvements to be made in my current e-books. In addition to adding the above
examples of commons issues that a novice may encounter to the Beginner's Guide, I plan to
add an index to the chapters and commands contained in the book. The second book, Digging
Deeper, has a chapter index and I recently found it very useful. (Working on the latest Calorie
Counter app, I couldn't remember how I padded some text and had trouble finding the original
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The Style of the AutoHotkey E-books
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source on the Web. I looked in the Diggin Deeper e-book index and, voilà, there it was. I'm
glad I had the reference and index. It's not possible to remember everything—unless maybe
you wrote the language.)
There is a bit of wandering in my books, but ideally it makes them easier to read, and it
certainly makes them much more interesting for me to write them.
If you have already purchased one or both of the e-books, I will let you know through this
column when any update is available. Amazon will automatically allow updates for your Kindle
books and if you bought them from the ComputorEdgeBooks Web site and have used up all of
your downloads, send an e-mail with your order number to ComputorEdgeEbooks. We will
give you more downloads so you can get the latest version. (Not now, but when I announce an
update.) I've given up working with iTunes because they offer meager results and are a pain to
work with. If you are looking for an iPad version (EPUB) then they are available at the
ComputorEdgeBooks Web site.
Plus, for people who would like to print a copy of one of the AutoHotkey books, we now
have them available in PDF format for printing at the same site—you supply the paper and ink
—if you really want something you can write spill coffee on. The PDF file is formatted with
real page numbers for standard letter size paper to fit in a regular school notebook. If you've
previously purchased an EPUB version of one of the AutoHotkey e-books at the site, you can
contact us for a discount on the PDF version.
Figure 6. Sample pages from the Beginner's Guide to AutoHotkey in the PDF format for printing on letter sized paper for
putting in a notebook.
If you have any questions about AutoHotkey that I might be able to shed some light on, don't
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The Calorie Counter App Update
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hesitate to ask. I'm happy to answer any AutoHotkey queries since it's likely that many others
have encountered similar frustrations—plus the answers are likely to end up in these columns
and a book. I can be reached via the ComputorEdge Web site (there's a link on the left side of
every page for AutoHotkey questions) or you can e-mail me at AutoHotkey Questions.
The Calorie Counter App Update
It was pointed out last week that in the original version the food import feature only worked
properly in the Calorie Counter app with Google Chrome. I think I've fixed the problem with
both Firefox and Internet Explorer—pending other bugs being found. This is a pretty normal
problem with a work in progress.
I've uploaded the new version of CalorieCount.zip to the ComputorEdge AutoHotkey
Dropbox download Web site which also includes a weight tracking field, plus I've fixed a
couple of other problems in the code. If you've run the previous version, it may be best to
delete the CalorieCount.txt data file (do this when the program is not running) to get a clean
start. Some of these problems tended to corrupt the data file.
As usual while I was working on these problems, other functions (which used to work)
stopped working properly. This happens because even though you're working on what seems
like an isolated portion of the script, it actually interacts with other functions. If you compared
the scripts (the one posted now with the code in last week's column), you would find a
multitude of changes. I've come out of this with a much better understanding of how data is
handled by AutoHotkey in both variables and data files. I will clarify my finding in the coming
weeks and give warnings about the mistakes I made.
There are some interesting aspects of the Calorie Counter app that are worth digging into. In
particular, the entire data file is read into a variable for quicker real-time access and data
manipulation, but the variable is still saved to a data file at critical points. Plus, a Weight field
has been added for tracking the progress of the diet. (That feature and the browser fix are in
the latest posted version.) I believe that this is the first script I've done that includes
spreadsheet-like calculations—although only simple addition and multiplication. There is a lot
going on in that script which needs reviewing.
I'm considering using the Sort command to create a quick food dictionary from the data file,
but that may need to wait.
*
*
*
If you're interested in either of the AutoHotkey e-books, you can find more information at our
AutoHotkey Book page.
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The Calorie Counter App Update
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Jack is the publisher of ComputorEdge Magazine. He's been with the magazine since first
issue on May 16, 1983. Back then, it was called The Byte Buyer. His Web site is
www.computoredge.com. He can be reached at [email protected]. Jack is now in
the process of updating and compiling his hundreds of articles and columns into e-books.
Currently available:
Just Released! Hidden Windows Tools for Protecting, Problem Solving and Troubleshooting
Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP Computers.
Jack's A Beginner's Guide to AutoHotkey, Absolutely the Best Free Windows Utility Software
Ever!: Create Power Tools for Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8 and
Digging Deeper Into AutoHotkey.
Our second compilation of stupid ComputorEdge cartoons from 2011 and 2012 is now
available at Amazon! That Does Not Compute, Too! ComputorEdge Cartoons, Volume II:
"Do You Like Windows 8 or Would You Prefer an Apple?"
Currently only at Amazon.com, Jack's Favorite Free Windows Programs: What They Are,
What They Do, and How to Get Started!.
Available from Amazon, Misunderstanding Windows 8: An Introduction, Orientation, and
How-to for Windows 8! Also available at Barnes and Noble and ComputorEdge E-Books.
Available exclusively from Amazon, Windows 7 Secrets Four-in-One E-Book Bundle,
Getting Started with Windows 7: An Introduction, Orientation, and How-to for Using
Windows 7,
Sticking with Windows XP—or Not? Why You Should or Why You Should Not Upgrade to
Windows 7,
and That Does Not Compute!, brilliantly drawn cartoons by Jim Whiting for really stupid gags
by Jack about computers and the people who use them.
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Wally Wang's Apple Farm
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Wally Wang's Apple Farm
“Spending as a Substitute for Thinking” by Wally
Wang
Spending as a Substitute for Thinking; Apple's Patented 3D User Interface; 3D Scanners; Steve Ballmer
Announces Retirement; Lynn University Dumping Textbooks for iPad minis; Creating HTML5 Animation;
The Finder Window.
It's no secret that Americans like to think of themselves as the best in the world in everything.
Yet the American education system rarely achieves number one status in any field except in
spending the most money per student while getting some of the lowest test scores in return.
Ames High School recently purchased 1,425 MacBook Air laptops for high school students to
use. Superintendent Tim Taylor said that "Research shows that students learn better when
they interact with the teacher, other students and the subject matter, and when teachers adapt
the level and method of instruction to the student."
Of course, just throwing a MacBook Air at a student alone won't necessarily help, but if the
school is willing to change their curriculum to teach students to think using MacBook Airs (or
any computer for that matter), then any improvement in student test scores will likely come
from the change in curriculum and teaching style and less from relying on any particular
technology.
The Netherlands has even opened seven "Steve Jobs schools" where students get
individualized instruction through an iPad. This "Steve Jobs" initiative hopes that "teachers will
no longer simply convey knowledge to a group of children; they will be transformed into
coaches that support children with their individual and group projects." If this project
succeeds, the iPad will likely help transform education, but the iPad itself won't magically be
the reason why kids are learning better. The iPad can only improve education if the curriculum
itself also improves.
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Wally Wang's Apple Farm
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Figure 1. Schools in the Netherlands plan to allow individualized learning with an iPad.
In the book The Smartest Kids in the World: And How They Got That Way, author Amanda
Ripley studied the American education system and determined that countries like Poland and
Finland actually focus on teaching children how to think even with the lack of technology in
the classroom.
When American exchange students studied overseas, they noticed that "Math classes tend to
be more sophisticated, with lessons that show the often fascinating ways that geometry,
trigonometry and calculus work together in the real world. Students forego calculators, having
learned how to manipulate numbers in their heads. Classrooms tend to be understated, free of
the high-tech gadgetry of their schools back home. And teachers in every subject exhibit the
authority of professionals held in high regard."
While countries like Finland "channel more resources to the neediest kids, America funds its
schools through property taxes, ensuring the most disadvantaged students are warehoused
together in the worst schools."
Can you imagine if Finland and Poland had a stronger military than the United States? That
would be cause for national alarm, but if Finland and Poland has a stronger educational system
than the United States, American government officials seem to shrug their shoulders and
ignore the problem, which shows how little most Americans value education compared to
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Wally Wang's Apple Farm
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emphasizing excellence in sports instead.
Where schools can improve is by changing from methods that don't work to using methods
that do work whether students use a computer or not. American schools can start by seeing
what works in countries like Finland and Poland, and not mistaking high test scores for
creativity and intelligence, which is the failing of most Asian countries.
Schools need to emphasize teaching thinking skills rather than rote memorization of abstract
facts that seem to have no relevance to the students' own life. When schools can do that, then
the technology they buy can help. To see how schools around the world have been using
Macintosh computers and iPads in the classroom (hopefully by using the technology to change
the way they teach), visit Apple's Education Page.
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Apple's Patented 3D User Interface
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Figure 2. Apple's Education page provides real stories of Apple products in education.
If schools simply buy more technology but maintain their failing methods, it should come as no
surprise when they continue to fail anyway whether they have a MacBook Air, an iPad, or a
Windows PC in the classroom.
Apple's Patented 3D User Interface
Apple helped make touchscreen gestures common and popular, and now the company may
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3D Scanners
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soon emphasize 3D user interfaces as well. The idea behind 3D user interfaces is that a device
like the iPad could detect hand gestures beyond the flat, two-dimensional plane of the screen.
Instead, you could gesture above the screen to control a device.
Figure 3. Apple's new patent for creating a 3D user interface.
Such 3D user interfaces would allow users to manipulate objects on the screen in ways far
more intuitive than using a mouse or touchpad. Just as people readily grasped the idea of using
touch gestures on a flat screen to control a smartphone or tablet, expect people to become
familiar with using 3D user interfaces in the future. Why use a touchscreen when you can use
a 3D gesture recognition interface that's more intuitive to use?
One huge problem with 3D user interfaces will be the cost of recognizing hand gestures from a
distance, much like Microsoft's Kinect. Still, costs will keep falling and capabilities will keep
rising, so it's only a matter of time before today's old fashion user interfaces will look as
antiquated as yesterday's MS-DOS prompts and text-based screens.
3D Scanners
Most people accept the idea that 3D printers can revolutionize manufacturing by lowering
costs and giving everyone access to manufacturing that was previously denied to ordinary
people. Even Microsoft is adding 3D printer support to Windows 8.1. While MakerBot sells
3D printers, they're also offering a 3D scanner.
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Steve Ballmer Announces Retirement
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Figure 4. MakerBot's 3D scanner can digitize any object as a 3D schematic.
Scan any small item into the 3D scanner and you can create a 3D digital file of that item. Now
you can send that 3D file to print on a 3D printer anywhere in the world instantly. Scan a
design in Norway and within seconds that design can appear on 3D printers in South Africa,
Brazil, Japan, and the United States.
The combination of 3D scanners with 3D printers means you can duplicate items without
having to design them yourself. As 3D scanners get cheaper and capable of scanning larger
items, and as 3D printers get cheaper and can create items out of multiple materials, the
physical world will start going digital. Just as computers have turned everyone into a publisher
either in print with a desktop publishing program and a laser printer, or online through the
Internet and blogs, so will 3D scanners and 3D printers turn everyone into a manufacturer in
ways that have yet to be explored.
There's still plenty of excitement in the world of computing if you just look in the right areas.
If you insist on clinging to the past, don't be surprised when you wake up one day and wonder
how the world has passed you by.
Steve Ballmer Announces Retirement
As soon as Steve Ballmer, Microsoft's CEO, announced he would retire in the next year, the
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Steve Ballmer Announces Retirement
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price of Microsoft's stock jumped almost 9 percent. When the promise of leaving makes
people happy, that tells you everything you need to know about what other people think of
you.
The big problem with Steve Ballmer was that he was more of a manager than a leader. He
knew how to keep Microsoft profitable by fine tuning their existing Windows/Office/server and
tools strengths. He had no idea how to transition Microsoft away from total dependence on
Windows. Rather than diversify, Steve Ballmer led Microsoft to focusing everything around
supporting Windows, overusing the Windows name for Windows Live, Windows Messenger,
Windows RT, and Windows Phone 7. Compared to Steve Jobs, Steve Ballmer embraced
complexity over simplicity and confusion over clarity.
Steve Ballmer killed Microsoft's promising Courier tablet and gave us Windows 8 instead as
his vision of a no-compromise solution that compromises as both a tablet and a desktop
operating system. When asked about Google's Chrome OS, Steve Ballmer even remarked that
companies shouldn't announce an operating system before they launch it (anyone remember
Vista?) and they should stick to one operating system instead of two (unlike Steve Ballmer's
one operating system solution of Windows RT, Windows Phone 7, and Windows 8).
When Windows Mobile held 30 percent of the mobile phone market, Steve Ballmer laughed at
the iPhone, then promptly watched Windows Mobile fade away as the iPhone took over the
smartphone market until the iPhone makes more than all of Microsoft's products combined.
When asked about the impact of the iPad and tablets on PCs, Steve Ballmer gave a rambling
answer that claimed PCs would remain dominant. When you listen to the lack of clarity and
vision Steve Ballmer offers in his reply, it's no wonder his leadership for Microsoft remained
just as equally vapid and scatter brained.
Steve Ballmer announcing his sudden retirement, coming so closely after reorganizing the
company in July, makes his departure look more like he was pushed out of the company.
Microsoft finally has a chance to embrace a true leader for a change. Whatever his faults, Bill
Gates was a true leader. Whatever his qualities, Steve Ballmer was simply a manager and not a
leader. A manager can keep an existing business going just as long as that existing business can
continue thriving. Even the best manager in the world would have no chance keeping Borders
Books, Kodak, or Tower Records alive.
Without Steve Ballmer, Microsoft finally has a chance to move beyond their Windows-centric
world. Then again, Microsoft has invested so much time and money in promoting a Windowscentric world that it will be hard for anyone to change the stagnant culture at Microsoft any
time soon.
Perhaps in addition to getting rid of Steve Ballmer, Microsoft should get rid of most of their
executives along with their board of directors as well. Then Microsoft could give control of the
company back to their programmers and engineers, and actually listen to customer feedback
before releasing products that few people want like Windows 8 on a desktop PC.
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Lynn University Dumping Textbooks for iPad minis
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Lynn University Dumping Textbooks for iPad minis
College textbooks are way too expensive, bulky, and generally useless since few classes use
the entire book. That's why Lynn University decided to dump paper textbooks altogether and
make students use an iPad mini instead. The university loans the iPad minis to each student,
who will get a free upgrade after two years. If the student graduates, they get to keep the iPad
mini.
"This is a huge moment in the history of Lynn University. We are one of just a few schools in
America deploying iPads in this way," Lynn University President Kevin Ross said. "It is the
culmination of years of planning and preparation by our staff."
Considering that Barnes & Noble makes a good chunk of their income operating university
bookstores selling paper textbooks, you can expect Barnes & Noble to circle the drain even
faster before disappearing altogether like Borders Books. With so many schools from colleges
to high schools to elementary schools using the iPad, you can expect many success and failure
stories to start appearing. Whatever happens, there's no doubt that the iPad has changed the
computing market (along with the e-book reader market) forever, which isn't bad for a device
that critics once dismissed as useless when Apple first introduced it in 2010.
Creating HTML5 Animation
The world of Adobe Flash is dying since Flash can't work reliably on mobile devices. Although
many people are using Flash to create mobile apps, creating animation for Web pages,
especially when viewed in mobile devices, requires learning HTML5.
To see an example of what you can do with HTML5, just visit Apple's own site promoting
their upcoming Mac Pro computer that would have rivaled supercomputers a decade ago. You
could create HTML5 code manually but it's far easier and simpler to use a special HTML5
editor instead.
One of the simplest HTML5 editors to use is Tumult Hype 2, created by two former Apple
engineers. Hype works much like creating a PowerPoint presentation. Just plop text, graphics,
or buttons on the screen (called a scene in Hype). Just like PowerPoint, Hype lets you create
additional scenes so you can present more than one screen of information.
You can also embed audio into an HTML5 file so viewers can hear an audio file play when
they click or tap on a button. In this way, you could create lesson plans or sales presentations
on your site. For many people running a business, their Web site can be like an automated
sales person who can greet and educate visitors any time of the day.
Once you've placed items on a scene, you can animate your objects by clicking a Record
button. Just place your items in an initial location and click the Record button. Now move your
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Lynn University Dumping Textbooks for iPad minis
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items to their final location and click on a timeline to define how much time you want to elapse
before your chosen objects move to their final location. Then click the Record button to stop
recording.
Defining the initial and final location of an item, plus the amount of time to elapse between the
initial and final location defines simple animation. By using Hype, I put together a simple
animated Web page for my friend who is promoting a cartoon series he's pitching to the
networks called "Life of Mikey." By visiting his site you can see how Hype can create simple,
yet effective animation in minutes.
Figure 5. Hype can animate text and graphics quickly and easily.
For another example of how HTML5 and Hype can display information on different scenes,
visit my screenwriting blog. This example shows how you can create interactive HTML5
displays where clicking a button displays different information. Best of all, Hype creates
HTML5 pages that look and work equally well whether viewed on a computer or through a
mobile device. With more people browsing through mobile devices, making sure your Web site
responds to touch gestures can be crucial in attracting and maintaining your following.
To help you design mobile-friendly HTML5 files, download the free Hype Reflect app for iOS
so you can connect your iOS device to your Macintosh through a Wi-Fi network. Then
anything you create in Hype can appear on your iOS device so you can see exactly how your
HTML5 files will look on an iPhone or iPad.
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Figure 6. Hype Reflect lets you preview Hype projects on an iOS device.
Normally when you animate an object, you choose its initial location and its final location.
Then Hype takes care of moving that item across the screen in a straight line. If you want
more variety, Hype can now create curved paths so you can make objects move in curves
instead of a plain straight line.
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Figure 7. Hype lets you create curved paths for moving objects.
The basic idea behind Hype is to define the starting location of items, define the ending
location, and specify how much time you want an object to take moving from one location. If
you want to get fancy, you can curve the motion path. After an hour at the most, even novices
should be familiar enough with Hype to start creating interesting HTML5 designs.
Hype is simple, easy to learn, yet powerful in giving you enough options to create practically
any type of animation you wish. If you're a Web designer, you need to understand HTML5
now and Hype provides quick access to HTML5's animation features. Without Hype, you can
manually code everything. With Hype, you can create your animation and focus on creativity
rather than writing code.
If the idea of writing HTML5 code doesn't excite you, then you'll probably want an HTML5
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editor like Hype to do the hard work so you can have fun letting your imagination create
animation quickly and easily instead.
*
*
*
The left pane of the Finder window always lists common folders. While you can drag and drop
new folders into this left pane, OS X provides another way to choose what should appear.
Click the Finder icon on the Dock then choose Finder > Preferences to open the Finder
Preferences window. Click the Sidebar icon and now you'll see a bunch of check boxes you
can clear or select to choose what items to appear in the Finder left pane.
Figure 8. Selecting check boxes to decide what appears in the left pane of the Finder window.
In the early days, before Wally became an Internationally renowned comedian, computer
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book writer, and generally cool guy, Wally Wang used to hang around The Byte Buyer
dangling participles with Jack Dunning and go to the gym to pump iron with Dan Gookin.
Wally is responsible for the following books:
My New Mac, Lion Edition
My New iPad 2
Steal This Computer Book
Microsoft Office 2010 For Dummies
Beginning Programming for Dummies
Beginning Programming All-in-One Reference for Dummies
Breaking Into Acting for Dummies with Larry Garrison
Strategic Entrepreneurism with Jon and Gerald Fisher
How to Live with a Cat (When You Really Don't Want To)
The Secrets of the Wall Street Stock Traders
Mac Programming For Absolute Beginners
Republican Fairy Tales (Children's Stories the 1% Tell About the Rest of Us)
The Zen of Effortless Selling with Moe Abdou
The 15-Minute Movie Method
Erotophobia (A novel)
In his spare time, Wally likes blogging about movies and writing screenplays at his site "The 15
Minute Movie Method." Wally can be reached at [email protected].
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Worldwide News & Product Reviews
ComputorEdge
Worldwide News &
Product Reviews
“The latest in tech news and hot product
reviews.” by Charles Carr
FBI Special Agent: Anonymous Arrests Were "Huge Deterrent" on Hacker Group; OMG! Using Text
Speak Doesn't Affect Grammar or Spelling? LOL!; Escalating Phone Bill Cramming Schemes Hit Mobile
Users; LG Intuition cell phone (Verizon); Music to Your Ears.
FBI Special Agent: Anonymous Arrests Were "Huge
Deterrent" on Hacker Group
The Huffington Post's Gerry Smith sent us this article:
The hacker collective Anonymous has not produced as many highprofile cyber attacks as it once did, a drop-off that can be directly
attributed to the arrests of the group's core members, an FBI official
told The Huffington Post.
Starting in late 2010, Anonymous captured worldwide attention
through a series of attacks against U.S. companies and government
agencies, stealing data and defacing or crashing Web sites.
But the arrests last year of five members of Lulz Security, an influential splinter group of
hackers, had a "huge deterrent effect" on Anonymous by creating an "added layer of distrust"
within the hacking group, according to Austin P. Berglas, assistant special agent in charge of
the FBI's cyber division in New York.
"All of these guys [arrested] were major players in the Anonymous movement, and a lot of
people looked to them just because of what they did," Berglas said in an interview with
HuffPost.
The 2012 arrests relied on the help of a key informant, Hector Monsegur, aka "Sabu," who
was caught and then cooperated with the FBI. The fear that one of their own could turn them
in has sowed distrust within the hacking collective, according to Berglas.
"The movement is still there, and they're still yacking on Twitter and posting things, but you
don't hear about these guys coming forward with those large breaches," he said. "It's just not
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OMG! Using Text Speak Doesn't Affect Grammar or Spelling? LOL!
happening, and that's because of the dismantlement of the largest players."
Gabriella Coleman, a professor at McGill University who studies Anonymous, said there was
"no doubt" the arrests dealt a major blow to "a central node of activity" within the group. But
Anonymous is still very much alive, she said.
"They could easily emerge again as a force to contend with," she told HuffPost in an email.
The arrests of members of Anonymous last year were among several highlights to come out of
the FBI's cyber division in New York. (The five core members of Lulz Security have pleaded
guilty.) In another case, the FBI in New York led an investigation that resulted in the arrests
earlier this year of three alleged operators of the Gozi virus, which infected at least 1 million
computers and stole millions of dollars from banks around the world.
A former Army captain, 41-year-old Berglas leads the FBI's cyber division in New York, one
of the busiest of the FBI's 56 field offices. His office overlooks the skyline of lower
Manhattan, the center of the financial world and a frequent target of hackers. Last month, a
Russian man was charged with breaking into the servers of the Nasdaq stock exchange and
deleting, changing and stealing data...
Read more here.
OMG! Using Text Speak Doesn't Affect Grammar or
Spelling? LOL!
Martin Hofschroer writes in representing Kaplan International Colleges:
Research by Kaplan International Colleges revealed that 63% of surveyed English learners
thought that their English grammar or spelling was no worse due to using text speak such as
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Escalating Phone Bill Cramming Schemes Hit Mobile Users
LOL and YOLO.
This claim came despite 5% of those surveyed stating that they use text speak when writing
essays and 3% asserting that they use it during exams. The survey also discovered that 71%
use text speak when texting on phones, 64% use it online and 14% actually use it while
speaking out loud.
Anna Robinson, Kaplan's Junior Operations Manager for the UK & Ireland, said: "While we
would never recommend using text speak in formal written work, students on our junior
English courses are proficient in the latest mobile devices so it is natural that they use it in
everyday life.
A recent study of primary and secondary school children by researchers at Coventry
University found no evidence of any detrimental relationships between use of texting slang and
children's conventional literacy abilities.
Author Dr Clare Wood, Professor of Psychology in Education at Coventry University, said
that her empirical research supported the results of Kaplan's survey into the psychology of
English learners.
She said: "Our own work examined children who used mobile phones and assessed them over
the course of an academic year in one study, and over just 10 weeks in another. We found
that not only was there no evidence of a negative association between literacy skills and the
tendency to use texting slang or abbreviations when using SMS, in fact it seemed to be adding
value to the children's conventional spelling abilities, because of the highly phonetic nature of
the text abbreviations which are most commonly used. They seem to enable children to
rehearse their understanding of how speech sounds map onto printed characters in a way that
benefits their normal literacy development."
Other survey results include:
• LOL and THX were the most used text speak acronyms by English learners.
• 66% use LOL and THX
• 63% use OMG
• 26% use 2MORO
• 21% use GR8
• 12% use YOLO
• 77% use text speak because: "It is faster than writing full words."
• 15% use text speak because: "Everybody else does it."
• 3% use text speak because: "My parents cannot read it."
Escalating Phone Bill Cramming Schemes Hit Mobile
Users
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Lisa Inouye with the PMBC Group writes:
Very few mobile phone users know of a new escalating
scheme called "cramming," where small, unauthorized charges
are appearing as one-time fees or monthly subscriptions added
to phone bills, listed as regular-sounding phone terms.
Scambook wants to warn the public to check their bills
carefully and regularly so they can recognize these charges
that may otherwise go unnoticed, and to dispute them
immediately with their service provider.
There are two types of cramming schemes currently affecting mobile phone users. There is
cramming committed by real companies practicing shady business tactics, like adding fees or
subscription charges when purchases or downloads are made. While outright scammers are
cramming even when users do not opt in to their services.
The FTC is also advising consumers to keep an eye open for the following kinds of charges:
long-distance calls, charges from unknown companies, charges associated with unfamiliar area
codes, and membership or subscription fees.
In an article at scambook.com, Miranda Perry writes:
Want to lower your monthly mobile phone bill? The best place to start is to end cramming.
Cramming is the term for small unauthorized charges that have been added to your phone bill
by a third party.
These charges take a variety of forms, ranging from one-time fees to monthly subscriptions,
and they may be listed under generic billing names that sound like regular phone services. If
you're not familiar with your bill, you may not realize you're being charged.
Cramming has existed since the era of landlines but now it's also becoming a widespread
problem on cell phones. Luckily, most phone service providers and cell phone carriers allow
you to dispute these unauthorized charges—if you catch them in time.
Let's review how cramming happens, how you can stop it (and thereby lower your bill) and
the steps you should take to prevent third parties and scammers from cramming your bill in the
future.
Fine Print and Outright Scams: How Your Phone Bill Gets Crammed
Is your cell phone bill higher than it should be due to excess unauthorized charges?
There are two primary types of cramming: cramming committed by real companies practicing
shady business tactics, and cramming committed by outright scammers.
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Escalating Phone Bill Cramming Schemes Hit Mobile Users
A third party may cram your phone bill when you purchase extra services or download apps
for your smartphone. You are opting in, but the company is deceptive about what it's actually
charging you.
There may be additional fees or subscription charges associated with your purchase, but
they're buried deep in the fine print or disguised in heavy legal jargon.
Scammers, on the other hand, can find sneaky ways to cram even if you don't opt in to their
services.
Scammers may trick you with "free" downloads for cell phone items like wallpaper or
ringtones, acquire your phone number from a black market affiliate list, or even blast out spam
messages and then start charging anyone who replies "STOP."
Both types of cramming can sneak onto your phone account under innocent-sounding billing
names such as Minimum Use Fee, Activation Fee, Voice Mail or Member Fee. The most
devious schemes may also keep their charges as low as $2 or $3 a month.
By using a generic name and a low fee, they're hoping you'll overlook the charge or just
assume it's a standard part of your bill.
Take Control Over Your Phone Bill
So how can you protect yourself from cramming? It's easy. Read your phone bill!
Check your bill every month, line by line. Most bills itemize each charge, so if you see a
product or service listed that you don't recognize, call your service provider and ask about it.
Identify the regular monthly charges that are part of your plan so you'll be able to spot
anything unusual.
Know how much you pay every month. If your bill suddenly goes up, even by a few dollars,
examine it closely and find out why.
Remember, cramming won't show up as "Scam Charge, $10″ — it will be listed as
something completely different, often under the name of a service that sounds legitimate. The
FTC advises consumers to keep an eye open for the following kinds of charges:
• Charges for long-distance calls you know you didn't make
• Charges from companies you've never heard of
• Charges associated with unfamiliar area codes
• Membership or subscription fees
If you discover an unfamiliar charge, call your service provider right away to dispute it.
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Prevent Future Phone Bill Cramming
Because so many phone service providers allow charges from third parties, virtually anyone
could be hit with cramming charges. We recommend you take the following steps to reduce
your risk of cramming:
1. Avoid using your number in contest entries. Many contests are created for malicious affiliate
marketing programs and your phone number may be sold to a scammer. If you insist on
entering contests and the contest insists that it needs your number, sign up for Google Voice to
get an alternate forwarding number.
2. Watch out for "toll free" numbers. Be aware that many "toll free" entertainment hotlines
may transfer you to a paid 900 line or automatically enroll you in a monthly membership.
Listen carefully to all the rules stated when you call, and if you think you've missed something,
get transferred to a customer service operator or hang up and consult the hotline's website for
its full terms of service.
3. Always read the fine print! Don't download any apps or join subscription services without
reading the fine print very carefully. Shady companies may cram your bill by advertising
something as free when it's actually a free trial — and by downloading the app, you've just
opted into monthly charges without realizing it.
4. Call your cell phone provider. Your phone carrier may have options to block third-party
charges, app, collect calls and 900 numbers. Call customer service to find out how you can
guard yourself from unwanted charges.
5. Be careful when sharing your phone. If you let your friends or family members play games
on your smartphone, make sure they don't click on any in-game advertisements or download
apps without your permission. Your friend might open the door for cramming charges without
being aware of it.
If you suspect a company has charged you without your authorization, submit a complaint on
Scambook.
Read more here.
LG Intuition Cell Phone (Verizon)
Product: Intuition
Manufacturer: LG
Carrier: Verizon
Web site: www.verizonwireless.com
Price: Free with two-year activation. Other pricing plans including month-to-month and
outright purchase
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We get offered a ton of smartphones here at ComputorEdge—that's right, 2,000 lbs. in the
past year alone—and, to be honest, the distinction between one model and the next can get
fuzzy—their amazingly-sharp screens notwithstanding.
Phone manufacturers themselves work diligently to create a distinction between their phones
and the rest of the pack. Perhaps the greatest differentiator at the moment is the quest for the
perfect screen size.
I remember hearing more than a few snickers from colleagues when Samsung announced their
Note series a couple of years ago—basically Galaxy S 3's and 4's with super-large screens. But
those critic snickers quickly turned into Samsung paydays when the public began snapping
them up faster than candy bars at 5 p.m. on Oct. 31.
LG must have been watching because they recently released the Intuition, a smartphone that
seems to think the sweet spot might be not only a large screen (5") but a 4:3 aspect ratio,
rather than the near-universal 16:9.
Exclusive to Verizon, the LG Intuition aims to combine a smartphone and a tablet. That is,
create a phone big enough that you don't look ridiculous using it, yet small enough that you
either a) leave your tablet at home or b) decide that you won't even NEED a tablet if you buy
this thing.
Under the hood, it's pretty much got it all: camera, 1.5 dual core processor, 4G LTE, 32GB of
memory.
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LG claims that the 4:3 aspect ratio is better for reading books, browsing, and taking notes.
This is a claim that Apple has made for years about their choice of a 4:3 ratio for the iPad and
lots (and lots) of people seem to agree. LG also claims that the Intuition's screen is easily
readable in direct sunlight. We're not quite there yet, but I was generally pleased.
A feature called QuickMemo allows you to easily take notes and easily share them friends and
co-workers, or just yourself. The Intuition includes what they call a Rubberdium (no, a new
addition to the Periodic Table has not been made) pen to make note-taking or drawing easier,
but I've found it also works surprisingly well with just a fingertip. The Intuition also lets you
natively view or edit Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents.
In a lot of ways the Intuition a lot like many smartphones out there but, if you're looking for a
not-too-large phone that will also double as a tablet, this might just be the perfect fit.
Specs (from Verizon/LG):
8 Megapixel rear-facing camera with LED flash
1.3 Megapixel front-facing camera for self portraits and video chat
Say Cheese Shot - use your voice to take a picture
Beauty Shot - smoothes and brightens skin tone
Face Tracking - automatically finds & focuses on faces
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Customizable Shot Mode, Brightness, Scene Mode, ISO, White Balance, Color Effect, Timer
& Shutter Sound
Advanced Image Editor - rename, crop, rotate, add effects, adjust contrast, and much more
Camera Resolutions: up to 3266x2448 (default)
Full 1080p HD Video Recording
Video Resolutions: Up to 1920x1080 (1440x1080 default)
4:3 display ratio
Video Player with Touch Lock, Dolby® Mobile, and Resume Play Function; Supports
DivX®, WMV, MP4, 3GP, and 3G2 Formats
Video Wiz - make and edit your own movies
Dimensions: 5.50" (H) x 3.56" (W) x 0.33" (D)
Operating system: Android Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0)
1.5 GHz Dual-Core Processor & 1GB RAM
32GB internal memory (formatted capacity is less)
5.0" XGA IPS Display, 16.7M Color TFT, 1024 x 768 Pixels, featuring scratch-resistant
Corning Gorilla Glass
2080 mAh Li-Polymer non-removable)
Usage Time: up to 15.07 hours OR
Standby Time: 130 hours
Wi-Fi Connectivity: 802.11 b/g/n
Preloaded Games: Real Racing 2 and Shark Dash
Polaris® Office - edit and create Microsoft Word, Excel® and PowerPoint® documents
Mobile Hotspot - share a 4G data connection with up to 10 other devices (or 3G with up to
five devices)
Notebook - editable book cover and templates with support for drawing, text input, and
multimedia clips (image, video, map, voice, and date attachments)
QuickMemo - make notes on the display using a finger or Rubberdium pen (included), then
save or share via social networks, text message, email, and more; dedicated hot key for easy
access
Data Sharing with Android Beam and NFC Technology
Customizable Icons (including lock screen icon) - use images/photos for icons
Home Screen Launch Bar - add up to seven apps
Improved Voice-to-Text - dictate messages and text appears immediately on screen for
verification
Home Screen Folders - drag and drop icons on each other to create folders
Lock Screen - Face Unlock; view notifications without unlocking
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Notifications - view thumbnail previews; dismiss notifications one at a time
Clean View - pinch the screen to temporarily hide the icons on the home screen
Recent Apps - dedicated key for access to recently used applications
One-handed keyboard feature
LG Shape writer keyboard
USB Tethering - share your phone's mobile data connection via USB cable
SmartShare - share media wirelessly to DLNA-enabled devices
Virtually limitless contacts (limited only by on-board memory)
32GB internal memory (formatted capacity is less)
One-Touch speakerphone and speaker-independent voice commands
TTY compatible
Hearing Aid Compatibility = M3/T3
Music Player with Dolby Mobile; Supports MP3, AAC, AAC+, WMA, WAV, AMR-NB, AMRWB, MIDI, Ogg Vorbis, and QCELP formats
Create and manage playlists
Headset: 3.5mm audio jack
Bluetooth profiles supported: HSP, HFP, SPP, A2DP (Stereo), AVRCP, OPP for vCard,
FTP, PBAP, GAVDP, AVDTP, AVCTP, HID (keyboard only), MAP (server only)
Digital (CDMA, PCS) 1x, EVDO Rev. A, LTE (B13)
Data Transmission: LTE, EVDO Rev. A, EVDO Rev. 0, 1xRTT
Music to Your Ears
Product name: C5 in-ear headphones
Manufacturer: Bowers & Wilkins
Web site: bowers-wilkins.aiprx.com
Price: $179.99
If you are a music aficionado, one cost-effective way to enhance your mobile listening
pleasure is to upgrade the standard earbuds included with your portable music player or cell
phone. A wide range of third-party replacement products is available with varying virtues,
weaknesses, and price tags. Thankfully, you need not spend an arm and a leg to gain an
audibly obvious and satisfying improvement in your music collection's sound profile. An
example of earbuds replacements that will make an appreciable difference without risking
bankruptcy is Bowers & Wilkins' C5 in-ear headphones. (Actually, they might more accurately
be referred to as canalbuds.)
C5 exudes quality in every aspect, beginning with the box in which it ships (Figure 1A). This
4.25" x 2" x 8.25" 11 oz. cardboard package feels rock solid and looks terrific. It has a white
sans serif font set against a dark charcoal-grey background, a spotlighted image of the C5 on
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the front, and an exploded image of the product (showing its internal components) on the
back. Accompanying the back's exploded view is text in three languages—English, French, and
Spanish—describing C5's virtuous True Sound feature (details in a moment) along with
Apple's official "Made for iPod, iPhone, and iPad" seal of approval.
The front side of this package actually is a flap. An arrow located mid-way down along the
flap's right edge prompts the user to open the flap (Figure 1A) and reveal an illustration on its
interior surface. The illustration depicts C5's ear piece properly seated in an ear, and is
accompanied by text that again comes in three languages and describes C5's virtuous Secure
Loop feature (details momentarily) (Figure 1B). Opposite the flap is an Oklahoma-shaped
transparent pane revealing the product within this package (Figure 1B).
Upon opening the box's taped bottom flap, the user finds a small cloth loop attached to an
inner cardboard box in which C5 is wedged into a dark charcoal-grey molded plastic tray. The
tray, in turn, sits upon two square black cardboard boxes. One box holds three pairs of silicone
sleeves (extra small, medium, and large which supplement the preinstalled small pair) and a
black velour zippered crescent-shaped carrying pouch. The other box contains the product's
documentation—a Quickstart guide (single sheet of card stock, 3.75" square) with text-free
drawings on both sides showing how to use the remote, how to insert the in-ear headphones,
how to adjust the Secure Loop, and how to install the silicone tips; a registration guide
(actually, it is more like a marketing booklet) with pages inviting the product's owner to register
and earn three months' free membership in the company's Society of Sound forum, plus color
photos of C5 and the company's other audio products; and a safety/warranty booklet. For
users who want more details about how to properly use and care for C5, a better option is the
downloadable user's manual which includes textual instructions along with drawings.
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Figure 1A.
Figure 1B. C5 comes in a box that, like its contents, exudes quality.
Besides its packaging, what distinguishes C5 from competing products? These in-ear
headphones (which are available in two colors—titanium (Figure 2) or black), unlike plastic
rivals, have a metal (tungsten) casing with a unique cylindrical shape and beveled end. These
casings are about an inch long and are lightweight (the whole product including its cables tips
the scale at under three-quarters of an ounce).
Each casing's cable enters into a hole on its back surface (Figure 2). The cables are 48" long,
slender, twisted, and coated with a transparent Kevlar-like material. This material held up fine
in my testing, but testing was too brief to evaluate durability under normal or heavy usage.
The left channel's cable has a metallic three-button audio control/microphone unit located
about 4.5" south of the left ear piece. This unit is compatible with Apple's iDevices and its
buttons control phone calls (answer/hang up) and tunes (play/pause; fast forward/rewind;
increase/decrease volume).
Both channels' cables merge together at a metallic splitter located about 14.5" south of both
ear pieces. This tube-shaped splitter is comprised of two separable parts; the northern one can
be moved by the user up to the audio control/microphone unit thereby dampening noise that
the cables make while the user is walking or otherwise in motion, the southern part is fixed in
place. The splitter's south side has an opening for a single cable that ends at a short Kevlar-like
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tubing above a standard 3.5 mm stereo jack housed in a metal casing similar to the audio
control/microphone unit.
Figure 2. C5's distinguishing features include cylindrical casings that have an angled end and are made of tungsten rather
than plastic, Secure Loops, and Micro Porous Filters.
Three additional distinguishing features include C5's Micro Porous Filter caps which the
company explains as "[h]undreds of microscopic steel balls [that] act as a sonic diffuser,
opening up the sound and making music feel remarkably rich and expansive", Secure Loops
which consist of "…plastic-coated wire that curl[s] around the inner rim of your ears and
hold[s] the in-ear headphones firmly in place," and Tungsten Weighting which ensures that the
ear pieces "…are balanced towards the ear, not away from it, for optimized noise isolation."
These three distinctive features combine to produce True Sound which the product literature
describes as the "most natural, realistic sound possible." My impressions of C5's audio quality
during testing are entirely consistent with this description (more below).
Other noteworthy features include C5's neodymium magnets, CCAW coil, ultra light 9 -m
thick diaphragm, 2x 9 mm drive units, 32 ohms impedance, 10 Hz to 20 kHz frequency
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response, <1% distortion (THD), and 118 dB/V at 1 kHz sensitivity.
How do these in-ear headphones sound as a result of their distinguishing features? C5's $179
MSRP (and typical price tag on the web) is above the impulse-purchase $100 barrier and it
might deter casual listeners. However, the sound profile's quality is so high that this cost is
justifiable. As long as the user chooses the appropriate pair of included silicone sleeves to
achieve a proper seal, C5 delivers a high quality audio profile.
At the outset of testing for this review, I used C5's factory installed small sleeves for several
weeks thinking that they were the proper size for my small ears. Mistake. The large pair,
despite looking enormous by contrast, provided a proper seal that the small and medium did
not achieve. Evidence for this was the obvious change in audio profile. Bass guitars and
percussion instruments were essentially missing from my favorite tunes when listening with
C5's small or medium sleeves. With the large pair, however, these instruments were readily
audible. Other instruments' (piano, electric keyboards, various strings, brass, percussion, etc.)
and vocalists' (both female and male) individual notes sounded natural with a clarity and
richness that definitely enhanced my listening experience. Users who are accustomed to
standard or low-cost earphones almost certainly will discover new facets of their favorite tunes
after switching to C5.
Besides its MSRP which could be too high for price-sensitive customers, C5 does have several
additional shortcomings worth considering. First and foremost is that bassoholics could be
disappointed with C5's handling of their favorite instruments. Despite getting a proper seal with
the large sleeves, Secure Loops, and Tungsten Weighting, I found the bass in my favorite
tunes to be good but I wished it were as distinct and rich as other instruments sounded.
Similarly, passive isolation is good but I wish it were a little better (especially with the large
sleeves). The L and R letters are located on the casings' underside are easy to overlook, but
this is a minor quibble since the audio control/microphone unit distinguishes the left channel's
cable and ear piece. Secure Loops can be uncomfortable for some users, but this too is a
minor concern because they are user-adjustable by sliding them or they can readily be
removed altogether. Lastly, the audio control unit (whose functions work with Apple's
iDevices but not necessarily with Android or other ones) performed inconsistently during
testing—I could press the unit's play-pause indentation while music was playing and it
continued (or while music was paused and it remained paused); I also could press one of the
volume buttons without a corresponding change in the volume. Repeated pressing eventually
produced the desired outcome.
In conclusion, C5 in-ear headphones could provide a cost-effective approach for music lovers
to improve their listening enjoyment. This product's price tag is outside the impulse-purchase
range, but it is mitigated by high-quality features and materials which should ensure audio
experience enhancement and a long lifespan, respectively.
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Review contributed by Barry Fass-Holmes
In addition to being an editor and columnist for ComputorEdge and ComputerScene
Magazines, where he has written hundreds of feature articles and cover stories over the past
decade, Charles Carr has also penned well over 1,000 non-tech newspaper and magazine
articles and columns for various publications, including two widely-read columns each week
for San Diego's North County Times newspaper.
Carr has covered such diverse topics as pesticide use in area schools, invasive background
checks for county volunteers, asthma awareness, the debate over standards-based grading,
potential vulnerabilities in electronic voting machines, and Southern California's devastating
2003 and 2007 wildfires. He has also written many humorous pieces.
Carr has also edited dozens of stories and articles written by others which have appeared in
major publications and web sites across the country.
He has been a contributor and technical advisor to L.A. and San Diego Parent magazines and
receives dozens of requests a year to appear on Southern California television and radio
stations to talk about important events in the tech world.
Carr has judged many writing competitions including San Diego Press Club and Time-Warner
Communications contests and was sole judge for the national NAPPA Tech Toys awards for
five years (which his kids really appreciated). He was recently a judge for the national "Poetry
Out Loud" competition.
He has won many writing accolades, including Press Club awards for Best Column Writing,
Consumer Writing and Best Arts and Entertainment, and has repeatedly taken top honors in
San Diego Songwriter's Guild competitions for his original musical compositions.
Carr will soon publish his first book, What a World, a collection of his best writings.
Learn more at www.charlescarr.com.
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Editor's Letters: Tips and Thoughts from Readers
ComputorEdge
Editor's Letters: Tips and
Thoughts from Readers
“Computer and Internet tips, plus comments on the
articles and columns.” by ComputorEdge Staff
"17-inch Laptop and Photoshop," "Adding Text to a PDF Document," "Poor Wireless Speeds,"
"Communicating on the Job"
17-inch Laptop and Photoshop
[Regarding the August 16 Digital Dave column:]
For Ron Ronson: I would make a comment about computer vs Photoshop. I am not a
professional photographer, but do use Photoshop CS6 for hobby work on a daily basis. 8GB
of RAM is good...especially with Windows 7 and 8. But I find the biggest digital bottleneck is
the video board with a dinky memory. When you have multiple layers in work in PS you will
at times run out of RAM on the video board and PS will quit working. Worse yet it will not
save work in progress…very irritating. Most new computers will come equipped stock with the
cheapest, least capable video card available.
-Richard Manteufel, Lemon Grove, CA
Adding Text to a PDF Document
[Regarding the August 16 Digital Dave column:]
Regarding Mike's form PDF filling question. I have opened the SIGN option on the Adobe
PDF reader (right side of toolbar). In there is an "Add Text" option. You have to position the
cursor where you want to put the text and then type it in. It can be a little clumsy, but my
handwriting is awful so it's easier for me.
-Rich DiSanto, Denver, CO
Back in 2003, my son was applying to colleges. A couple of universities provided online PDF
documents the applicant could print and fill out by hand. In our case, I downloaded the PDF,
captured the form pages at 300% magnification and loaded them as images into a Microsoft
Word document. I then created a large text box on top of that page and proceeded to fill in the
fields in the text box that overlaid the corresponding fields on the PDF. Once everything was
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ComputorEdge
filled in, I used, if I recall correctly, a PDF print driver to save that application to disk. Finally,
because of a predictable unpredictable network outage, I transmitted the applications at 2400
baud to the respective institutions.
-Stewart A. Levin, Menlo Park. CA
Poor Wireless Speeds
[Regarding the August 16 Digital Dave column:]
Earlier this year, I upgraded to an ASUS RT-N12 wireless router in conjunction with Xfinity's
cable modem upgrade. This replaced a venerable SMC Barricade wireless router which was
sufficiently peppy, but required increasingly frequent resets with the new cable modem. (I
assumed it was unable to handle the cable modem firehose.)
Almost immediately, my wife complained about how slow her Internet connections behaved.
While I hadn't seen issues, primarily, it turned out because I had run an Ethernet cable into the
new router.
I checked upload and download speeds using a couple of Internet sites. Sure enough, we were
only getting, at most, less than 1Mbps.
I checked the Internet and found a discussion on an open source router firmware site that said
the ASUS firmware version that was shipped with the router had pretty terrible performance.
While they suggested replacing the firmware with one of theirs, I checked the ASUS site and
found a firmware upgrade that I immediately installed. Problem solved.
-Stewart Levin, Menlo Park, CA
Communicating on the Job
[Regarding the August 16 Worldwide News & Product Reviews column:]
I often use and prefer text messaging for communicating on the job.
-Paul Anthony, San Diego, CA
ComputorEdge always wants to hear from you, our readers. If you have specific comments
about one of our articles, please click the "Tell us what you think about this article!" link at
the top or bottom of the specific article/column at ComputorEdge.com. Your comments will
be attached to the column and may appear at a later time in the "Editor's Letters" section.If
you want to submit a short "ComputorQuick Review", or yell at us, please e-mail us at
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Poor Wireless Speeds
ComputorEdge
[email protected]. If you would like to review our recent e-books, please visit
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ComputorEdge Magazine, P.O. Box 83086, San Diego, CA 92138. (858) 484-1998
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ComputorEdge
Table of Contents
List of ComputorEdge Sponsors
2
San Diego ComputorEdge Sponsors
Colorado ComputorEdge Sponsors
2
3
ComputorEdge™ Online — 08/30/13
Cyber Criminals, Urban Start-ups, and More!
Magazine Summary
Digital Dave
Copy Favorites List in Internet Explorer
E-mail Programs
Saved Password in Internet Explorer and Google Chrome
Cyber Criminals, Urban Start-ups, and Founder Genius
Do Some Good Tech
The Black Hat Convention—July 2013
Global Cyber Criminals—Business is Booming
Government Cyber Leakers: Prevention and Capture
More on Retail Innovation and Technology
Windows XP Apocalypse—Microsoft Stops Support Next Year
Urban Start-ups: Sharing Economy and Come-to-You Services
Start-up News: Executives and Mompreneurs
Following a Founder Genius: Microsoft's Steve Ballmer
Following A Founder Genius: Apple's Tim Cook
Common AutoHotkey Messages and Errors Encountered by the Novice
An Older Instance of This Script is Already Running
Common AutoHotkey Errors
Missing Label (Subroutine)
The Variable Already Exists
Detecting Hidden Windows
Using GUI Names in Combined Scripts
The Style of the AutoHotkey E-books
The Calorie Counter App Update
Wally Wang's Apple Farm
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Apple's Patented 3D User Interface
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3D Scanners
Steve Ballmer Announces Retirement
Lynn University Dumping Textbooks for iPad minis
Creating HTML5 Animation
Worldwide News & Product Reviews
FBI Special Agent: Anonymous Arrests Were "Huge Deterrent" on Hacker Group
OMG! Using Text Speak Doesn't Affect Grammar or Spelling? LOL!
Escalating Phone Bill Cramming Schemes Hit Mobile Users
LG Intuition Cell Phone (Verizon)
Music to Your Ears
Editor's Letters: Tips and Thoughts from Readers
17-inch Laptop and Photoshop
Adding Text to a PDF Document
Poor Wireless Speeds
Communicating on the Job
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